Trapped
by bluelily3
Summary: At an indeterminable night at Lucius Malfoy's manor, a little social game is played between Severus Snape and Amity Crake. (OC) But Severus's motives are much different than could be expected. (AN: Probably my first and last HP fanfic, as Snape is hard to write without things seeming idiotic. I tried my hardest!)


He had been nothing like what she would have thought. The stern, cold exterior of his person had made her very uneasy, and when they had entered the room, she had been hesitant. His dark eyes, which had been hard as rock before, grew weary and almost sad. She figured most Death Eaters were different than this in the bedroom. It just seemed like an animal thing, and she hadn't thought Severus would be much different. He had such tight control on everything, she had assumed he would be like that here too. But he just sat there, his eyebrows drawn together in a mournful way. He never even tried to touch her. As the woman sat in that stuffy room, she tried to remember how they had even got there in the first place. It was like he had been putting on a show for someone. There had been a very clear lustfulness about him. Hadn't there? It had startled her, among some of the others. She was one of those that had believed that Severus had about as much sexuality as a monk. He was always buttoned-up and severe, hence his latin name. He managed to surprise them all.

It started out innocent enough, and maybe that's why it couldn't end that way. The woman's name was Amity, and as a Death Eater, she suffered for it to no end. It was latin for friendship or fellowship. Being a strong woman, she had managed to shrug most of it off. She tossed her dark hair at most of the jeers, but this only fueled some of their rage. The men like Yaxley were the most offended by her nature. She could seem approachable, leer someone in, and then toss them aside at the last moment. It was this cruelty that she used in the employment of Voldemort. She was able to win people over easily, and it made her good at gathering information.

Amity was one of the many who had joined the Death Eaters because of her family. She was raised and groomed to be a certain way. Only now, in the late afternoon of her life, was she starting to resent it. She felt she wasn't cut out for it anymore, and it was beginning to show in her work efforts.

That evening, she had approached one of the smaller tables in the Malfoy manor with a few others. Lord Voldemort was out again, along with most everyone else. She had been a bit surprised to see there, Severus talking quietly to Yaxley, Lucius, and an exuberant Bellatrix. At first she had turned away. Bellatrix LeStrange was not someone she was seen with often. The woman was coarse and disgusting. She made comments about Amity and some of the other men that were scandalous. Amity tried to deal with it gracefully. After all, they were Death Eaters, not prudish do-gooders. But that didn't mean they didn't have any dignity. Bellatrix just naturally assumed all of them were full of lust and interested in at least someone. She even harbored those strange feelings about Severus, which was ridiculous. So, as always when she was around, the conversation turned crude.

She had seen Amity turn away, and taunted her.

"Oh, here's little miss tight skirt." She cackled. "Don't go away, dear. We were just talking about you." Amity's shoulders tensed and she cursed inwardly.

"Oooh that got her. Don't you want to know what Severus was saying about you?" Her laughter sounded so crude that Amity almost drew her wand. She turned around quickly. Just when she was about to defend herself, Severus spoke up.

"Enough, Bella. You're making a fool out of yourself. This is not primary school." He said smoothly.

Bellatrix just smiled wickedly.

"Well, it's not my fault you don't know how to have fun, Sev."

He twitched violently, and his dark eyes narrowed.

"Don't...call me that." His voice was even colder than before. Bellatrix just laughed. Amity was about to turn around again, in search of something more productive to do, when Bellatrix launched herself at her, and snatched her wrist. Her dirty fingernails pierced her skin.

"Come now, lovely. Sit with us. I'm getting bored with these dull men." She dragged at her arm until Amity wrenched it away.

"It's not my job to entertain you, LeStrange."

"Ha, ha. You are a lively one, aren't you?"

Against all her instinct, Amity sat slowly down. What could possibly be accomplished here? She pushed her dark hair from her eyes. Usually it was smoothed back, but it was starting to come loose after the long day. The eyes of Yaxley and Lucius appraised her. She tried to hide her disgust. Lucius was married, and this was own house. Yet he still looked at her like she was a piece of ripe fruit. Considering her looks, it was idiotic. She was attractive enough, but not in a physical way. Most men were appealed by her mannerisms and what people who didn't know any better would call charm. However, sitting among people she wasn't necessarily fond of, she wasn't projecting any of that now. What could they possibly be looking at? She was relieved when a quick glance at Severus saw him bent over parchment and ink, ignoring them all. Bellatrix noticed how Yaxley and Lucius were sizing her up, and couldn't miss the opportunity to say something lude.

"Aw, what are you two looking at? Miss Crake here hasn't got a warm bone in her whole body. She's a lot like...well, Severus here, don't you think?" She giggled, and Yaxley laughed roughly with her.

"I'll bet those two have never even lain with anybody." He whispered loudly into Bellatrix's ear. She licked her lips, making her look like a common prostitute. Severus gripped his quill harder for a moment, then subsided like nothing had been said.

"Oy, Lucius." Yaxley continued. "You've known Severus here since he was a boy. Has anyone ever taken his fancy?"

Lucius, who had been about to leave the table in disgust, lowered himself down in the chair again with an amused smile.

"Actually...I don't think so. He thinks he's in a higher realm than that. Didn't you know?" He winked at Amity. Yaxley frowned.

"No man is higher than lust. Woman have too much of a hold on us, no matter how strong we are." His words were so honest that the others were taken aback. Even Severus lifted his head from his writing. He arched an eyebrow and his voice was soft.

"If there ever was a time where a woman had taken my 'fancy' none of you dolts would know about it."

Yaxley laughed gruffly, but Lucius frowned.

"'Dolts' are we, Severus? It is not our fault that you can't find the right-"

"No one would have him, that's why." Bellatrix piped up.

"Look at him! He's a bleedin' statue! Cold as winter's night, and dry as a desert, I'm sure." At this comment, Severus's eyes flickered. There was a quiet anger in them for a moment, then it was gone.

Lucius had seen it.

"Aw, Bella, you really can be a heartless bitch at times." He said. His rich voice made the word seem like a compliment. The woman just barked out more laughter. It was hard to believe that she had a husband somewhere. Amity almost didn't believe it. She had never seen him in person.

"Severus has some admirable qualities. You just have to look for them." This comment startled everyone at the table, especially Severus. He looked up again.

"Oh, Lucius?" His smile was a grimace. "Care to entertain us?"

Lucius just shrugged.

"Well, loyalty for one. I've never seen anyone as loyal to the Dark Lord as you." His voice was quiet, and there was something hidden there. Respect? Envy? Severus's eyebrows were pushed together. He didn't seem pleased, nor did he deny the statement.

"Dogs are loyal, Lucius. Anything else?" His eyes almost taunted Malfoy.

"Hmm. Let's see…" He drew it out long enough that Bellatrix snorted. Amity, who couldn't stand her any longer, made a comment she would regret.

"He's good at keeping secrets." Her voice had been low, but the impact was startling. Lucius and Yaxley stared, and Bellatrix, who had been standing, pulled out a chair in high amusement. It was Severus's reaction that struck her the most. He turned sharply, his hair fanning out. His dark eyes pinned her for a long moment. They were pitch black, and she saw that anger in them again. How could she have said that? It was only because they were both spies, and she knew how secretive one had to be for the job. She had felt the need to say something, before his reputation was picked to little pieces by this table of crows. She knew that Lucius was an old friend of Severus's, but he had been making a fool out of him. It just wasn't something she could watch anymore, and it flickered something inside. His eyes caught her so strongly that she was at a loss for words.

However, Bellatrix was not.

"Oh, look at that fire! Miss Amity's not so bad after all! I think she's stoking it in our frozen Mr. Snape, here…" She laughed lustily. This comment would have normally made Severus clam up again, but something unforeseen came over him. He raised his eyebrows in a strange way, and the anger was replaced with amusement.

"Ah, Miss Crake is a spy like me, of course. We are both…" and here he and dragged the silence out enough to make her squirm a bit.

"Full of secrets." Being very intuitive, she could tell that he was playing at something. So, she played along. She smiled suddenly, bringing more shock to the table.

"We are. But, I must say, Severus, you are much better at it than I am." She felt ridiculous inside, but she made her voice slow and sensual as she said it. There was a sort of satisfaction in the look on Bellatrix's face. She looked like someone had used "stupify" on her. The two played at this flirting business for about ten minutes, then he slowly stood up from the table, sinuous as a snake. His eyes were pinned on her, ignoring everyone else. He seemed to want to prove to them, or himself, that he had it in him to get what he wanted from her. She wasn't sure why she was playing along, but a small part of her almost wanted him at that moment. He was so unapproachable...such an enigma. One of her downfalls was being attracted to this in a man. She suddenly wanted to see beyond all those buttons.

She watched him walk away slowly, his cloak billowing behind him. Bellatrix laughed again, but it had a doubtful tone to it. At the sound of this, Severus looked over his shoulder at Amity, his eyebrow cocked. There was unmistakable lust in his eyes this time, and Bellatrix was silenced. If Amity didn't know any better, she'd think LeStrange wanted him for herself. They all watched as he strode up the stairs, into one of the guest bedrooms. He had stayed in this one a couple of times before, but it had never properly been deemed his own. Very slowly, he closed the door, and it let out a long groan. However, the latch bolt didn't snick into place, leaving an inviting crack of light to shine into the hallway. Lucius and Yaxley smiled in sick amusement, and Bellatrix continued to stare. Now it was up to Amity to complete the little game. She was sure that's what it was. But...what if she went in there, and he seized her with some long hidden passion? She laughed inside at that. Surely not. If he did want her though...what kind of man would he be? He was very organized and in control, so she assumed he would be like that in the bedroom. The idea almost made her wish it wasn't a joke. She liked her men with a bit of discipline. She had only been with two, but they hadn't been enough to satisfy her. One of the reasons she had gone without so long was because she couldn't stand for any of them to get close enough to her. She imagined what it could be like with Severus.

When she stood up, the haughty expression on her face was only played out a bit more than how she felt. She smirked at Bellatrix and flipped her dark hair back. Her mind searched for words to say, but anything that came to her would ruin the moment. So she merely wandered up the stairs, went to the door, and, without knocking, glided in casually. As she pulled it closed, she heard Bellatrix roar with glee.

She stood silently for awhile, looking at his back. It was rather sensual to her at the moment. Clad in black, shoulders broad, spine straight as an arrow. He was standing by a fire, (one he must have lit moments before magically) and the flames flickered on his black hair, making it gleam in a way she found appealing. She moved forward, not sure why. Part of her was almost afraid of him, and it made her tingle. She wondered if it was true that he had never been with anyone. It seemed absurd. Granted, he was not physically attractive in a conventional way. There was something else. Something buried far down, that no one could even guess at. Amity herself had no idea why she knew this. She could just feel it. The room was warm and stuffy, but the aura he radiated was enough to forget about one's surroundings.

She moved forward again until she was behind him.

"Well." Her voice was confident, with the hint of a smile. "That should get the rumor mill going for the next few months. Especially since Bellatrix is involved."

"Why did you play along?" His voice was so soft and smooth that she had a hard time concentrating on what he said. It had a curious tone to it.

"I...really don't know, Severus." She said his name lightly. He turned around then, and without knowing it, she sat down on the bed. He stood over her for a moment, his eyes focused inwardly. Knowing he was thinking, she provided a prompt.

"What should we do now? You don't think they'll expect noises or something, do you?" At this he slumped down in the chair across from her and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, God…" He said it louder than intended, and she was shocked at this sudden change at first, but then she suppressed laughter.

"See now, that's a start." She said. Severus looked up, startled, and when he saw her smile, his own lips twitched.

"This is...really quite ridiculous. If you wish, you can leave."

"What? And spoil our little game? Surely they wouldn't believe it if I left so soon. Your reputation would be-"

"I don't care what they think of me. They are all idiots." He said this with such assurance that she had to believe him. He really did see himself as above this nonsense.

"Then, what was this whole thing about?" She arched her eyebrow curiously at him, but his eyes were on the fire. He was lost in his mind again. He was silent for a long time, and his eyes grew sad. A shock came over Amity. She hadn't expected this at all. Despite how cruel she was at times, she felt a sudden sympathy. Maybe...could he feel trapped like she did? Before she even knew it, a whisper escaped her.

"Sometimes I wish…" But she trailed off. She hadn't meant it to stir him, but it did. He looked at her, the sadness still in his eyes.

"Go on, Miss Crake."

"Amity. Call me Amity. Everyone else does." She tried to stall. What she had been about to say was treachery, and could get her killed. And Severus was Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. At this moment however, she believed he was more than that. His expression was soft, almost dazed, like he wouldn't remember what she said later anyway. There was always a memory charm. But what if someone was listening outside of the door? She turned to the solid wood and over her shoulder, she made an absurd noise of pleasure. This startled Severus, and then he realized what she was doing, and smiled grimly. She turned her attention back to him and the fire.

"Nevermind… This room is warm enough that I can't think straight." He looked away then, almost dismissively. She wondered if she should go, even though it had only been five minutes.

"Your wish is similar to mine, I think…" He sighed softly, his eyes lost in the flames. Amity wanted to tell him, but then she was suddenly on the defensive. This could very well be a trap. She did this same thing to people. Getting them comfortable, then finding out enough information to get them into Voldemort's clutches. Really, she was tired of the whole thing, and wished that she could trust that Severus wasn't doing the same to her. But he'd lured her into this room under lustful pretenses. There had to be some reason for it. Now he was clammed up by the fire, and she wondered if he was playing the "misery card". Women did fall for that quite frequently. These thoughts wound through her head until she could hardly take it anymore. She sighed with weariness, and when his eyes flicked to her, it was just like he had said,

"I know."

She stood up then, now sure that he was being genuine. He had to be. No one was that good of an actor, were they? She stood behind him for a long moment, watching the firelight play on his hair. His hands were on his lap, nowhere near his wand. He didn't find it threatening that she was behind him. Unbidden, her hand went to his hair. It slid through her fingers like silk, and it was very warm. His hands twitched, and he sat up a little straighter, but he didn't protest. She ran it through her fingers until he relaxed. Then he whispered to her.

"I'm aware of your wiles, Amity. I do believe you are trying to trap me."

"We are both trapped then." Her voice was quieter than his. He sighed gustily, and it told her just how weary he was. She bent closer to him almost whispering in his ear.

"This war will soon be over, Severus." He turned to look at her then, reading her eyes. When he found nothing but sadness and longing in them, he was satisfied. Amity, a little bewildered at the whole thing, turned to leave. He called to her, his voice a bit firmer.

"Miss Crake." He was standing up now, his wand drawn.

She stood up straight, her own wand in her hand. Here was what she had been waiting for. But his eyes still didn't look hostile.

"I'm afraid that simple moment between us has been...dangerous. I will not harm you. It is a merely a memory charm. Do you comply?" His eyebrow went up, asking permission to violate her mind with magic.

"Which charm? For erasing or modifying?" She was unsettled. He was by far more powerful than her, and she couldn't block whatever he wanted to do easily.

"Whichever you wish." His smile was wry.

"What about you?"

"You wish to erase mine, also?"

"Well, it's only fair, is it?"

"It cannot be done. We would have to be exact, and I'm sure I would overpower you."

"If that is the case, then maybe you had better modify my memory. Just in case anyone asks what has happened here. I can be truthful about it." Amity said.

There was a slight flush to Severus's skin now. She could tell his mind was working, and the thoughts were definitely not conducive to his nature.

"Ah. I will...see what I can do then...," He paused and looked her full in the face. "Amity." Her name was a whisper, as if he were trying to make the memory more tangible to her. She straightened up, and put her wand away.

"Before you cast it, I demand to know what the whole point of this was. You said you don't care what the others think, but then-"

He frowned with irritation.

"I would have thought that was obvious." When she was silent, he dropped his wand arm in frustration.

"There was something I wanted to confirm about you."

She knew very well what he had wanted to confirm, but for some reason she had wanted him to say it. He was still being subtle. Like any spy, he was very careful, and would not say anything aloud that could be misconstrued.

"Did you?" She whispered. His eyes were firm. He knew that she was saying this to taunt him into admitting it out loud. 'You know I did' were his unspoken words, and she suddenly remembered how they had both admitted they were trapped. They wanted the war to be over for their own reasons, but they shared the same common ground, escape. And for her to know this about him was a dangerous thing. But what would he do? He could tell Voldemort that she was a traitor just as well as she could. Somehow the thought didn't bother her. Death was a certain way out of all this. His eyes told her different, anyway. He had fallen upon a strange sort of camaraderie with her in those few moments by the fire. She found herself trusting him.

"All right then." She looked at him for a long moment, reading an apology in his eyes.

"I'm ready." She said.

He lifted his wand, and whispered a word unknown to her. The tip of his wand flared a light blue, and she was bathed in its light. The sensation was more enjoyable then she would have thought. She watched Severus through the light, and her mind reformed the memory by the fire, changing it to something much less innocent.

In the middle of the night, she awoke to a sound. She was alone, and the thought alarmed her. Wasn't she just in bed with...Severus? But no, that had been hours ago. It wasn't too vivid for some reason. She had woken up from memories of it, but they had been more like a dream. It had been warm, and his hair was shining. She could remember his eyes, and...had they even kissed? Surely, if they had been intimate, she would remember the details. Then she recalled why she had woken up. Somewhere in that dream, she had heard his voice. It was a loud groan of "Oh, God…" She smiled to herself. It felt tangible to her, not invented. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she had been tampered with. Somehow, the thought didn't bother her at all.


End file.
